Did You Know...

posted Jun 26th, 2013 -
Last weekend's leaderboard is complete with the scores from Canada and the Midwest. However, the Sun Path Products NSL News goes back one more time to the Tomscat Trophy for a good reason. More Thunder videos are now available, and the AAA Class winner has not received much attention yet.

Reason for the little attention was the fact that the battle for the 2nd place between Whooops and Creeps was very interesting. Even Cool Runnings and the team's quest to beat the 10-average level in the AAA/Open Class caught more attention than Thunder.

Fact is also that Sun Path Products NSL News and the audience are used to Thunder winning the AAA Class competition of the Tomscat Trophy, and even Paul Hofstee's 19th consecutive 1st place at this event is nothing surprising any longer. However, Thunder is still the best unofficial amteur team in the world and deserves adequate attention.

The slowly leveling Thunder scores are certainly not the reason for less attention. In fact, Thunder's scoring history only shows how challenging it is for a weekend team to leave the 20-average outdoor level and the 25-average indoor level completely behind. It is difficult enough to get there, and the next step becomes even more challenging.

However, Thunder's determination is well known, and it will be no big surprise if the chart of the scoring history will show the next upward movement very soon.

Paul Hofstee recently pointed out that there is also a specific Thunder member who has not received the deserved attention yet. Team videographer Grim Swinnen won this year's Tomscat Trophy award for the best AAA Class flyer on camera, and the Sun Path Products NSL News learned more about him.

Grim Swinnen is not only filming Thunder, he ihas also been a very active Canopy Piloting competitor since 2006. He has attended over 30 Canopy Piloting events, won several national titles and competed for Belgium at five world championships and world cups.

He usually finishes in the top 20% of the field at the world meets, and his best result at an FAI sanctioned competition was a 3rd place at the European Championship in the distance category. Performance Designs selected him to fly the company's newest canopy for this event, the Peregrine.

Grim Swinnen is currently also a member of the Joint Peregrine European Experts Group, a new European Canopy Piloting team that is training and competing on the highest swooping level. He will still continue to apply the highest filming level for Thunder and provide exciting 4way videos.